Friday, June 20, 2003

Wilmington, NC – Programming for the week of June 30, UNCW Community Link, an interactive, public affairs television show, will discuss the growing trend that is moving health care out of the traditional doctor’s office and into offices that sometimes look more like bedrooms than a professional’s office space, as well as the threats that children in New Hanover County face everyday.

This week Betty Ann Sanders speaks with Dr. David Friedman, from Friedman Chiropractic, and acupuncturist Dr. Renee Dixon. The three discuss the pros and cons of the growing reliance on alternative forms of medicine. Friedman says that people are turning to alternative medicine because “it is often safer, more cost effective, and it produces more results.”

Dixon agrees with him and says, “often times, when the traditional medical doctors can’t find out what is wrong with a patient, that is when they turn to us. It usually takes pain or discomfort to get them in the door.”

H.E. “Hunter” Thompson, Jr. also speaks with Cynthia Brown, the Executive Director of New Hanover Community Action, and Liz Kachris-Jones, from the Guardian Ad-Litem Program about dangers and threats facing children in the Southeastern North Carolina region. “Children at risk aren’t more at risk than they were in past years, but it is important to know that 85 percent of the risks adults face also affect their children,” said Kachris-Jones. “Children face substance abuse problems, mental health issues, domestic violence and the like. If we give our children the skills and strategies needed to keep their eyes open and avoid bad situations, then we are doing them a better service. People also need to know when to report possible child abuse or neglect.” The state law says that all cases of “suspected” abuse should be reported to social services, but frequently citizens wait until they have solid proof that there is abuse before they report it, which usually comes too late.

UNCW Community Link reaches beyond the television studio to allow citizens to sound off on compelling issues facing Southeastern North Carolina. Hosts Sanders and Thompson engage and challenge the region’s newsmakers and opinion-shapers and then ask viewers to voice their opinions. Through collaboration with the Southeast Public Interest Network of North Carolina (www.SpinNC.org), citizens can use the latest Internet technologies to continue the dialog on show topics and community ideas.

For more information on this show’s topics please visit:

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

http://nccam.nih.gov/

NC Health Info

http://www.nchealthinfo.org

Alternative Health News Online

http://www.altmedicine.com/

The North Carolina Court System

http://www.nccourts.org

North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute

http://www.ncchild.org/

Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina

http://www.preventchildabusenc.org/



Tune into UNCW Community Link

Wilmington & Brunswick County 7:30 p.m. Mondays

4:30 p.m. Wednesdays

1:30 p.m. Thursdays

7:00 p.m. Fridays The Learning Network on Time Warner Ch 5 and Charter Communications Ch 12

Pender County 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Government Channel 8

Carteret County/Havelock 8 p.m. Thursdays

Time Warner Channel 10

Jacksonville 7 p.m. Thursdays

Time Warner Channel 10